Prerit Sharma, post graduate in Thermal Engineering receives medal from Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru Director Prof Govindan Rangarajan and Dr Bhujanga Rao Vepakomma, Chairman, KIMS Foundation and Research Centre during the 22nd annual convocation at NITK, Surathkal on Saturday.
Credit: DH Photo
Mangaluru: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru Director Prof Govindan Rangarajan called upon the graduating students to cherish human relationships by connecting with the family through direct conversations.
"Developing human relationships will set us aside from Artificial Intelligence (AI). Otherwise we will also become machines,” he said while delivering the 22nd annual convocation of the National Institute of Technology (NITK), Surathkal, for the Postgraduate students, on Saturday.
Students should develop sympathy, human relationships, creativity, and thinking skills to survive in a world where AI is becoming more and more prominent, he said. The AI-generated algorithms on social media have made us connected to the entire world. However, studies show that people are becoming lonely as they have stopped interacting with others.
He said “AI impacted the concept of truth. Earlier, photos were telling the truth. Now, with the deepfake videos, AI fabricated images, we don't know what to believe. Hence, the whole concept of what is truth is destroyed by AI.”
“AI will have a profound impact on whatever we do. It can predict the structure of all proteins known and unknown to mankind. It can essentially do experiments in chemistry labs faster than students can do. As a result, it can be a threat to PhD students as it takes away the work which human beings do. Further, AI tools have an impact on coding and chip design, as it can do it in a faster manner. Coding will be taken away by AI,” he said and called upon the students to focus on their creativity and use AI as a tool rather than a competitor. AI is augmenting intelligence, he said.
Dr Bhujanga Rao Vepakomma, Chairman, KIMS Foundation and Research Centre (KFRC), Secunderabad and former Director General for Naval Systems and Materials, DRDO called upon the graduating students to innovate and make a difference in society.
Delivering 22nd annual convocation of National Institute of Technology (NITK), Surathkal, for the Postgraduate students, he said the graduates should be adaptable and resilient to face the challenges in the 21st century.
“Be curious, passionate about lifelong learning. Continue the journey of learning to gain knowledge,” he said and urged the students to develop strong communication skills to excel along with developing empathy.
“The engineers should be socially responsible and have concern towards the environment and come out with novel solutions that are sustainable and inclusive to the problems that impact society. The engineers have an opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of the country by creating solutions that transform the lives of the people,” he said. Further, he urged the students to be proud of the rich heritage and leverage India’s unique strengths.